"Danger Do Not Use Warning Notice" left by smart meter fitter

FreeBear

QrizB said:

Yeah, fitting a firebreak between those is going to be a nightmare.

I'd say next to impossible.

The gas pipe disappears behind the incoming electrical cable (probably touching). On top of that, there is very little room to move stuff around to get better clearance. The simplest solution would be to move the gas meter to the outside wall and reroute the feed to the boiler. Not going to be cheap though...

The money would be better spent on getting a heat pump, and then the gas meter can be removed completely. It would also pay to replace the consumer unit as it has some heat damage from when that gas pipe was soldered up. As it currently stands, the CU is ugly, but not unsafe (and not up to current regs).

brewerdave

FreeBear said:

QrizB said:

Yeah, fitting a firebreak between those is going to be a nightmare.

I'd say next to impossible.

The gas pipe disappears behind the incoming electrical cable (probably touching). On top of that, there is very little room to move stuff around to get better clearance. The simplest solution would be to move the gas meter to the outside wall and reroute the feed to the boiler. Not going to be cheap though...

The money would be better spent on getting a heat pump, and then the gas meter can be removed completely. It would also pay to replace the consumer unit as it has some heat damage from when that gas pipe was soldered up. As it currently stands, the CU is ugly, but not unsafe (and not up to current regs).

Eh - don't think so - the costs of a heat pump plus new rads plus new HWT AND restoring the property would be at least 10x greater than paying to relocate the gas meter even if you qualify for the Govt handout!!

PRAISETHESUN

Reed_Richards said:

No help to the OP but I cannot work out what the supposed danger actually is.  What could possibly happen if your gas pipes are too near to an electricity supply?    

Leak... spark... boom...

QrizB

PRAISETHESUN said:

Reed_Richards said:

No help to the OP but I cannot work out what the supposed danger actually is.  What could possibly happen if your gas pipes are too near to an electricity supply?    

Leak... spark... boom...

Yes, this.

You've got pipework containing a nearly limitless amount of flammable gas located adjacent to a source of ignition. And don't forget that consumer units occasionally burst into flames themselves (hence the switch to metal clad ones in the latest wiring regs). As they'd have said on Watchdog back in the day, "it's a potential deathtrap".

doodling

Hi,

QrizB said:

PRAISETHESUN said:

Reed_Richards said:

No help to the OP but I cannot work out what the supposed danger actually is.  What could possibly happen if your gas pipes are too near to an electricity supply?    

Leak... spark... boom...

Yes, this.

You've got pipework containing a nearly limitless amount of flammable gas located adjacent to a source of ignition. And don't forget that consumer units occasionally burst into flames themselves (hence the switch to metal clad ones in the latest wiring regs). As they'd have said on Watchdog back in the day, "it's a potential deathtrap".

But no more a deathtrap than any other gas leak.  There are fewer sparks around your supply head and consumer unit compared to any other room in the house (unless your  circuit breakers are tripping frequently).

HillStreetBlues

doodling said:

Hi,

QrizB said:

PRAISETHESUN said:

Reed_Richards said:

No help to the OP but I cannot work out what the supposed danger actually is.  What could possibly happen if your gas pipes are too near to an electricity supply?    

Leak... spark... boom...

Yes, this.

You've got pipework containing a nearly limitless amount of flammable gas located adjacent to a source of ignition. And don't forget that consumer units occasionally burst into flames themselves (hence the switch to metal clad ones in the latest wiring regs). As they'd have said on Watchdog back in the day, "it's a potential deathtrap".

But no more a deathtrap than any other gas leak.  There are fewer sparks around your supply head and consumer unit compared to any other room in the house (unless your  circuit breakers are tripping frequently).

That would depend of where the meters are, more risk if in enclosed meter cupboard with less dissipation.

QrizB

doodling said:
But no more a deathtrap than any other gas leak.

The people who write the gas safety rules apparently don't agree with you.

masonic

It's not the potential risk in the event of a leak that perplexes me, it's that just a 25 mm gap is deemed enough to make it ok. Is that really appreciably safer than a 5 mm gap?

doodling

Hi,

QrizB said:

doodling said:
But no more a deathtrap than any other gas leak.

The people who write the gas safety rules apparently don't agree with you.

We don't know why that rule is in place so that is not a valid conclusion to draw.

My suspicion is that it is noting to do with a steady state ongoing risk of gas leaks and more to do with making it possible to work on either utility without the risk of a dangerous event occurring (examples of which might be a gas leak through mechanical damage to the gas installation, heat damage to electrical wiring / equipment or inadvertent application of water based leak detection spray to electrical equipment)..

If my suspicion is correct then the risk that the rule way trying to mitigate has already arisen, failed to manifest into a dangerous event (other than a somewhat singed consumer unit) and now lies dormant until next time work is carried out in that area.

prowla

jumbowindows said:

FreeBear said:

A photo of the problem area might help us to suggest a solution.

It might be a strip of cement board glued to the wall would provide sufficient protection.

Unfortunately they are so close that the a separation board will not fit ! see below 

Looking at the picture, there appears to be some burning of the plastic at the bottom-left of the fuse box where the grey wire goes in right next to the gas pipes.